William galloway



u me@ w GALLOWAY TAMP FR BLASTING.

No. 353,488. A

Patanted Nov. 30, 1886.

Nrrnn STATES WILLIAM GALLOWAY, OF CARDIFF, COUNTY OF GLAMORGAN, ENGLAND.

TAM rl Foa BLAS-rino.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Leners Patent No. 353.488. ated November 30.1886.

Application tiled March 9, 1886. Seal No. 194.580. V(No model.) Patented in England November 17, 1885,

No.1-l,005; in France March2, 1886, No. 174,505. and in Belgium March 2, 1886, No. 72,201.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM GALLOWAY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and lreland, and a resident of Cardiff, county of Glamorgan, VVales,England, have invented certainy ImprovementsinTamping Shot-Holes in Blasting Operations, (for which I have obtained French patent, dated March 2, 1886, No. 174,505, and Belgian patent, dated March 2, 1886, No. 72,201, and have applied for a British patent, dated November 17, 1885, N o. 14,005,) ot' which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to render blasting operations safe in the presence. ol' redamp and .coal-dust by tamping the shotholes in an improved manner, and so as to prevent or very much diminish the risk of communicating flame to the fire-damp or coaldust from the explosion of the blasting-charge.

The invention consists in using as a tamping material a fibrous or spongy substance saturated or impregnated with water or with a solution of a salt or salts or other liquid, which on the explosion will be dispersed in the forni of spray. When the tamping is driven out on the tiring ot the shot, the liquid is, by the compression due to the explosion, forced out as spray from the tamping material, and the spray prevents the communication ot' flame to any fire-damp or coal-dust that may be present. The tamping may either partially or wholly surround the cartridge of explosive material, or it may be placed only in front of the cartridge. l i

The igure'in the accompanying explanatory drawing represents a longitudinal section of a shot-hole for a blast as tamped according. to my invention.

^ The cartridge C having been placed in the bottom of the hole, with the fuse F extending out from itin the ordinary way, my improved tanipiug material T', saturated with liquid, is placed immediately in front of the cartridge, and then the hole is filled up with ordinary 'ramping material, T2. The relative proportions of the two'tamping materials T and T2 may be varied in different cases, according to the depth or length of the hole, and as may be found desirable in practice.

The fuse F must be protected from the moisture, any suitable Water-proof coating being used for that purpose.

I am aware that bodies of water have been used in connection with blastingcartridges to prevent flame from being communicat-ed to the tire-damp or coal-dust when the blasting takes place; but in practice the water is apt to be thrown in splashes, and will not always prevent explosion. In my invention, however, the presence ot' the fibrous or other disintegrating material in the water insures the thorough breaking up or pulverizing oftheliquid when acted 011 by the pressure of the explosion, the liquid being projected in a spray and the communication of flame to the fireda-mp or coal-dust being effectually prevented.

I am also aware that in Burgoynes book 011 Blasting and Quarrying, published in London inr 1874, broken brick in small pieces and dust is mentioned as a suitable tanipiug material for blasting rock, and that it "is improved by slglitly moistening with water during the ramniing. In such case, however, the moistening otl the brick-dust is nothing more than a dampening to hold it together, and there is not water sufficient to perform the function of preventing explosions. In other words, there would be no projection ol' water in spray to prevent the communication ot' llame to tire damp or coal-dust if the slightly-.moistened brick-dust were used in mine-blasting. In my invention, on the other hand, the fibrous or other disintegrating material is completely saturated with liquid, and moss`or sponge, for instance, when "saturated,7 will hold from four to six times its weight ot' water. This material is present in the water for the purpose oi'insuring the disintegration oitlie water, or, in other words, causing it to be thrown out in the form ol'spray under the l'orce of the explosi'on.

I claim as my invention- A safely-tamping for shot-holes in blasting, having more o r less ot: its material tibrous or spongy and saturated'with a liquid, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereol'l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM GALLOWAY. Witnesses:

WERNER C. MERVALE, B. DAvIEs. 

